explaining phobias

• behavioural approach- classical and operant, classical is same as usual, operant- to reduce the anxiety experienced the individual will avoid their phobic stimulus. The anxiety reduction negatively reinforces the individual to continue to avoid the object, therefore they never face their fear and cannot overcome it
• evaluation of this- not everyone who has an unpleasant experience at the same time as a neutral stimulus goes on to develop a phobia. For example, a person who gets bitten by a dog will not always develop a phobia of dogs, this weakens the behaviourist claim that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning.
• Little Albert is research evidence to show classical conditioning of a neutral stimulus, a loud noise paired with the present of a white rabbit caused a phobic response
• White rat and loud noise behind Albert’s head- association classical conditioning however not explained evolutionary based phobias such as a fear of snakes when people have never encountered one, as some phobias are hereditary